2011 has been the best year so far for arguably the world’s best underground dance label, Crosstown Rebels. Having released incredible artist albums by Maceo Plex, Deniz Kurtel & Art Department and the sublime ‘Get Lost 4’ mixed by Damian Lazarus, they now release Rebel Rave 2 as a compendium to their most prolific year to date. The album showcases highlights from the year over two discs and features a stunning DJ mix on CD3 mixed by high flying LA threepiece collective Droog.

Rebel Rave returns with another three discs of upfront material from the Crosstown Rebels recent catalogue, in a similar format to the first edition. Featuring some of the most ground-breaking, critically acclaimed and widely loved singles from the Crosstown stable this year; from label stalwarts Jamie Jones, Glimpse, Deniz Kurtel, Dan Berkson and head honcho Damian Lazarus, to a sea of new faces in Russ Yallop, Fur Coat and Subb-an, and outstanding contributions from two of this year biggest artists Maceo Plex and Art Department plus huge releases from Guti & Dubshape, Solomun, James What, Inxec & Droog.

The collection is a great barometer to Crosstown’s triumphant year. The first two discs are unmixed and span buried B-sides, reedits and remixes from some of this year’s biggest releases, featuring work by some inspirational producers such as DJ Harvey, Guy Gerber, Maya Jane Coles, Dixon, Ewan Pearson, Ivan Smagghe, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Zev (Wolf + Lamb) and many more. Disc three is a superb mix of highlights and fresh material from the imprint sonically sculptured together by LA’s Droog. Hypnotic and alluring, vibrant and exciting, this timeless journey cements a victorious year for both the imprint, and its expanding family of artists.

Martin Dawson & Glimpse – No One Belongs Here More Than You (Ewan Pearson Remix)

Born in 2008 as a prolific film series that follows some of the most charismatic and formidable characters of the underground dance music scene as their career takes them around the globe (www.rebelrave.tv), Rebel Rave has become a benchmark for a new coming of age for house and techno music. Put together by global pioneers of the industry, Crosstown Rebels, Rebel Rave is a beacon of kudos, keeping a foot firmly in the underground while carving its own path into the mainstream.

The first compilation came from Clive Henry and for the second episode we meet Droog, a unique three piece collective from Lazarus’ new home in Los Angeles. Droog are Andrei Osyka, Brett Griffin and Justin Sloe, a dynamic trio of producers, DJs and music lovers that have set about instilling their passion into their beat hungry West Coast environment. Droog are behind the infamous rooftop soirees at LA’s Standard hotel that brought the elite of house and techno to the city for the first time.

Now regularly showcasing the best talent and with Steve Bug, Magda, Dixon and Soul Clap all big fans of the series, Culprit sessions are undoubtedly the superior event in LA for cutting edge music. In 2009, Droog started their Culprit label, initiated with the debut release from Hot Natured. Since then it has supported the careers of local talent such as Kenneth James Gibson and Lee Foss (before his relocation to London) and brought early releases from Matt Tolfrey & Inxec and Ovum star M A N I K.

Damian Lazarus established Crosstown Rebels 8 years ago and has created a covert force of nature that continues to dig up new talent and future heroes. Rebel Rave is the label’s flagship calling card and an annual celebration of its achievements to date. Rebel Rave marks the close of 2011 for Crosstown Rebels, while next year promises to be an yet more prolific, with new albums from Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Art Department & Deniz Kurtel, as well as debut albums from Fur Coat, Amirali and many other exciting new projects.